All around us, people are hurting. Families are struggling. Hearts are filled with panic and despair. Anger spills its venom. Addiction is rampant. Relationships are fractured. Where should we turn for help?

Often a suffering person realizes that there is a God who cares. So when things go wrong, many people go to church, expecting to find a nurturing environment that will bring them the solutions they seek. Some will be helped through the existing ministries in the church. Others may have trouble finding what they are looking for. Many of the believers in the church have pulled back from God’s work, hindering the church’s outreach and other ministries. Most pastors will reach out and try to help when they are aware of the needs in their congregations.

But working with troubled individuals can be a monumental task for overworked pastors who may not have had much training in counseling. At the same time, these pastors may be reluctant to refer their people to counselors outside the church because:

Biblical Counseling Ministries, Inc. (BCM) recognizes the need. We believe counseling should be Bible-based. Its central focus should be in the local church, where counseling is greatly enhanced through the reinforcement of spiritual models, Bible teaching, ministry opportunities, accountability and the fellowship of God’s people. But we also know that a small church may not have enough staff or resources to meet all the needs.

Biblical counseling is very practical, but it goes beyond behavior modification techniques. Scripture is applied to everyday situations to help the counselee live out a personal faith in Christ the way God intended. Learning to respond from the heart according to Biblical principles helps the person to recognize the relevance and importance of God’s Word in the immediate situation. When sin is part of the problem, the counselee learns about personal accountability and about God’s loving and powerful forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Development of a personal relationship with God based upon a Biblical understanding of God’s character and the person’s responsibilities is central to good counseling.

In short, the process of Biblical counseling holds good news of redemption and sanctification through Jesus Christ, bringing hope to the hurting.

BCM Goals
Our primary goal is to work in and alongside local churches to help them build Biblical discipleship ministries. We want to see active church members learn how to help the hurting people around them. Our three-tiered program offers classes at different levels to fit the abilities and goals of church leaders in various positions of authority and influence in the church. For those who will need more focused care than what lay church members can provide, BCM offers affordable nouthetic[1] counseling by pastoral referral.

The BCM Plan
BCM was founded for the purpose of helping groups of small churches to obtain counseling resources like those listed above.

BCM offers nouthetic Biblical counseling by pastoral referral for women and children and co-counseling with pastors for married couples and men. It is the goal of BCM to be able to provide counseling free of charge in the future. Until we are able to do that, the referring church will be invoiced for the counseling sessions. That church determines how much of those charges will be the responsibility of the referred counselee, and what the church will cover.

In order to make this growing vision a full reality, we need the prayers and financial help of Christian individuals, organizations, and churches who recognize the importance of Biblical counseling in a community of small congregations.

Home Church: Calvary Baptist Church of Wisconsin Rapids, where BCM has its office and makes appointments.

Training Center: Grace Baptist Church in Plover, where discipleship ministry classes are held.

Resource Center: Faith Baptist Church in Wisconsin Rapids, where recommended reading lists are compiled and books may be ordered.

Support Center: First Baptist Church in Waupaca, where mailings and promotional materials are prepared.

These churches, along with Berea Baptist Church of Stevens Point, have pooled their resources to hire a nouthetic counselor and to provide a central spot where discipleship ministry training can benefit churches in the entire Central Wisconsin area.

The Counselor
The BCM counselor serves as executive director and discipleship ministries instructor. She holds a master’s degree in Biblical counseling and is certified by the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors. She also holds a certificate from the Almond Tree substance abuse program and is a former trainer of crisis intervention for the Stevens Point Area Public School District. She has served in Central Wisconsin Baptist churches for over 25 years in many facets of ministry, including counseling, teaching, music, children’s and women’s ministries.

The BCM counselor travels to three Central Wisconsin cities each week.

Mondays: Counseling at Wisconsin Rapids.

Tuesdays: Stevens Point and Plover for counseling and teaching discipleship training classes

Wednesdays: Counseling at two locations in Wisconsin Rapids

Thursdays: Counseling at Waupaca

Fridays: Wisconsin Rapids for administrative work